COL0MB.AUBRAB.|^pfii 


RECAP 


HX6408i281 
RJ2(      B68  Repo^.on.ns^n      g 


on  Six  Months 
Experimental  Restaurant 
for  Undernourished 
Children 


BOWLING  GREEN 
NEIGHBORHOOD  ASSOCIATION 

45  WE8T  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


Columbia  2tatoer£itj> 
in  tlj  e  Cttp  of  i^rm  gork 

College  of  :Pt)2>£triang  anb  burgeons 
Etbrarp 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Open  Knowledge  Commons 


http://www.archive.org/details/reportonsixmonthOObowl 


BOWLIXG  GREEN 
NEIGHBORHOOD  ASSOCIATION 


Bowling  Green  Neighborhood  Association 
45  west  street,  new  york. 


OFFICERS 

Miner  C.  Hill,  M.D.,  President 

Lee  W.  Thomas,  M.D.,  Vice-Pres.      Chellis  A.  Austin,  Treas. 

Edmund  Leamy,  Executive  Secretary 


BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 


Chellis  A.  Austin 
L.  L.  Benedict,  Jr. 
John  E.  Berwind 
Philip  Boyer 
Grenville  T.  Emmet 
Jerome  D.  Greene 
Mrs.  Jerome  D.  Greene 
John  R.  Hall 
Miner  C.  Hill,  M.D. 
Herbert  T.  B.  Jacquelin 
Willard  V.  King 
G.  Hermann  Kinnicutt 
Albert  H.  Marckwald 
Albert  G.  Milbank 

Kenneth  D. 


Mrs.  Hugh  Minturn 
Walter  Moore 
Charles  E.  Mitchell 
Alonzo  Potter 
Mrs.  Alonzo  Potter 
Charles  V.  Rich 
Sheppard  G.  Schermerhorn 
Carl  J.  Schmidlapp 
James  Sheldon 
Samuel  Sloan 
Joseph  R.  Swan 
Everett  B.  Sweezy 
Lee  W.  Thomas,  M.D. 
John  B.  Walker,  M.D. 

WlDDEMER 


WOMEN'S  COMMITTEE 


Mrs.  Philip  Boyer 
Mrs.  Lowell  Burch 
Mrs.  Stephen  C.  Clark 
Mrs.  Grenville  T.  Emmet 
Mrs.  Jerome  D.  Greene 
Mrs.  John  R.  Hall 
Mrs.  Russell  Hibbs 
Mrs.  Miner  C.  Hill 
Mrs.  G.  Hermann  Kinnicutt 
Mrs.  George 


Mrs.  Hugh  Minturn 
Mrs.  Ray  Morris 
Mrs.  Alonzo  Potter 
Mrs.  John  T.  Pratt 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Sabin 
Mrs.  Mortimer  L.  Schiff 
Mrs.  Cotton  Smith 
Mrs.  Arthur  Swann 
Miss  Edith  Wetmore 
Whitney 


^  REPORT  on  Six  Months 
Experimental  Restaurant  for 
Undernourished  Children  §•- 


'  ■  HHl  ■ '.  WM 


Howling  Green 
Neighborhood  Association 

4;  West  Street,  New  York 


<  — —_     :- 

BOWLING  DREEN 
NEIGHBORHOOD  USSH 

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The  Association  Building,  at  45  West  St., 
not  being  large  enough  to  accommodate  the 
restaurant,  a  store  {pictured  above)  was 
rented  at  11  Morris  Street  for  the  purpose. 


Bowling  Green  Neighborhood  Association 

Report  on  Six  Months  Experimental  Restaurant 
for  Undernourished  Children 


THE  Bowling  Green  Neighborhood  Association  is 
an  outgrowth  of  a  Health  Centre  started  by  the 
New  York  Milk  Committee  in  1913  in  the  neighborhood 
which  lies  West  of  Broadway  to  the  Hudson  River 
and  south  of  Vesey  Street  to  the  Bay. 

This  district  was  chosen  because  the  infant  mortality 
here  was  the  highest  of  any  locality  in  the  city,  and  be- 
cause the  living  conditions  were  as  bad  as  could  be 
imagined. 

The  population  is  one  of  many  nationalities,  Syrians 
and  Poles  predominating. 

Many  newly  arrived  immigrants  settle  in  this  district, 
the  nearest  spot  to  where  they  land,  and  stay  for  a  year 
or  so  until  they  learn  more  of  the  new  country.  It  is  here 
therefore  that  many  families  receive  their  first  impres- 
sions and  form  their  first  ideas  of  their  new  country.  It  is 
here  also  that  they  feel  the  first  influence  of  welfare  work. 

Instruction  of  these  families  in  hygienic  ways  of  living 
will  have  far-reaching  results,  for  they  will  be  good  ex- 
amples in  the  new  districts  to  which  they  move. 

The  first  step  was  to  improve  the  living  conditions, 
the  second,  health.  Phis  latter  required  a  routine  phys- 
ical examination  of  all  children,  particularly  those  of 
pre-school  age,  and  the  correction  of  existing  abnormali- 
ties. It  was  soon  found  that  poor  nutrition  was  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  subnormal  condition  of  these  chil- 

5 


dren,  and  to  counteract  this,  malnutrition  classes  were 
formed  along  the  usual  line.  Instructive  literature  was 
circulated  also. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  in  the  work  of  instruc- 
tion was  due  to  the  mixed  population  and  the  many 
different  languages  spoken.  In  spite  of  all  our  efforts  the 
traditional  Continental  breakfast  of  coffee  and  rolls  per- 
sisted and  the  diet  was  excessive  in  carbohydrates  and 
stimulants  and  deficient  in  protein  and  vegetables. 

The  idea  of  a  malnutrition  restaurant  was  suggested 
as  a  means  of  furnishing  a  concrete  example  of  proper 
feeding  which  could  be  understood  by  all  the  families 
of.  the  district  irrespective  of  the  language  they  spoke. 

This  experiment  was  begun  November  first,  19 19,  as 
part  of  a  six  months'  campaign  in  diet  instruction  with 
the  restaurant  as  a  demonstration  centre.  The  plan  was: 

1 — To  show  parents  in  a  practical  way  the  benefit 
of  giving  children  a  well  balanced  diet. 

1 — To  prove  that  this  type  of  diet  is  within  the 
means  of  the  parents . 

3 — To  instruct  parents  in  the  preparation  of  food. 

4 — To  instruct  girl  scouts,  the  home  makers  of  to- 
morrow, how  to  prepare  food. 

5 — To  note  the  effect  of  proper  food  on  the  child's 
mentality  by  comparing  school  reports  before 
and  during  their  attendance  to  the  restaurant. 

The  co-operation  of  the  Dept.  of  Education  through  the 
Principal  of  the  Local  Public  School  and  that  of  the 
Child  Health  Organization  was  obtained  with  gratifying 
results. 


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Facsimile  of  Individual  Chart 

Twentv-five  undernourished  children  varying  in  ages 
from  5  to  13  years  were  chosen  for  the  experiment. 
These  children  were  given  three  meals  a  day,  six  days 
a  week,  in  the  restaurant.  In  order  that  this  might  not 
seem  a  charity  each  child  was  charged  ten  cents  a  day 
for  the  three  meals. 

All  the  children  selected  for  the  restaurant  were  given 
a  careful  physical  examination  and  physical  faults  such 
as  diseased  tonsils  and  carious  teeth  were  corrected. 

They  were  weighed  once  a  week.  On  large  individual 
charts,  posted  on  the  walls  of  the  restaurant,  was  noted 
the  progress  in  weight,  attendance,  hours  of  sleep  anil 
general  deportment,  as  well  as  a  record  of  the  home  con- 
ditions of  the  child  which  was  obtained  by  the  visiting 
social  worker.  This  stimulated  a  competitive  interest 
among  the  children. 


_ 


BOWLING  GREEN  I 

Record  of  Children  in  Malnntritiot 


TIME  IN 
RESTAURANT 


Joseph  A. 
James  A. 
Rose  B.  .      . 

VlLMA  B. 

George  B.    . 
Spiridon  B   . 
George  C.    . 
Helen  C. 
Andrew  D.  . 
Mike  D. 
Louis  G. 
Annie  H. 
Annie  K. 
Joseph  K. 
Lizzie  K. 
Susie  K. 
Katherine  M. 
Margaret  M. 
Assad  M. 
Annie  M. 
Raymond  M. 
Harold  M.  . 
George  M. . 
John  M. 
Maria  M.     . 
Joseph  P. 
Stephen  P.  . 
Bala  S.   . 
Annie  S. 
Joseph  S. 
Susie  S.  . 
Emily  S. 
Fred  S.   . 
Walter  S.    . 
George  S.    . 
Allie  S.  . 
Hannah  S.    . 
Moussa  S.    . 
Sada  S.    . 
Andrew  T.  . 
George  Z.    . 


13  years 
9      years 

8  years 
10.K  years 
1 1  years 
l3%  years 

9  years 

10  years 

8  years 
6}4  years 

9  years 
8      years 

1 1  years 
8       years 

14  years 
9K  years 

14  years 
8   years 

1 2  years 
9>£  years 

8  years 

1 1  years 

12  years 

9  years 

7  years 
12      years 

8K  years 

1 1  years 
9  years 
9  years 
g}4  years 
8K  years 

1 2  years 

12  years 
1 1  }4  years 

13  years 
io>£  years 

8  years 
5      years 

10      years 

9  years 


6  months 
2H  months 
4      months 

4  months 

5  months 
\l/i  months 
iyi  months 
2      months 

months 
months 
month 
months 
months 
months 
5^  months 

6  months 
2  months 
\yi  months 
2  months 
iyi  months 
\yi  months 
2  months 
5  months 
i$4  months 
2/4  months 
2  months 
4>£  months 
\]/i  months 

5  months 

1  month 

2  months 

6  months 
6  months 
1)4  months 
6  months 
3K  months 
2%  months 
2/4  months 
1}4  months 
3^4  months 
2lA  months 


4 

lbs. 

12  OZ. 

4 

lbs. 

14  OZ. 

2 

lbs. 

6  oz. 

4 

lbs. 

8  oz. 

4 

lbs. 

2  oz. 

2 

U.S. 

8  oz. 

1 

lbs. 

8  oz. 
6  oz. 

1 

lb. 

4  oz. 

1 

lb. 

12  oz. 

.1 

lbs. 

5  oz. 

1 

lb. 

8  oz. 

? 

lbs. 

2 

lbs. 

12  oz. 

l3 

lbs. 

4  oz. 

6 

lbs. 

4  oz. 

1 

lbs. 

2  oz. 

3 

lbs. 

2 
1 

lbs. 

lb. 

1 

lbs. 

2 

lbs. 

12  oz. 

2 

lbs. 

8  oz. 

6 

lbs. 

,3 

lbs. 

10  oz. 

4 

lbs. 

8  oz. 

2 

lbs. 

4  oz. 

2 

lbs. 

8  oz. 

I 

lb. 

12  oz. 

2 

lbs. 

3 

lbs. 

12  OZ. 

2 

lbs. 

8 

lbs. 

4  oz. 

1 

lb. 

1 

lb. 

8  oz. 

6 

lbs. 

4  oz. 
4  oz. 

2 

lbs. 

5 

lbs. 

14  oz. 

iOOD  ASSOCIATION 
November  5,  1919,  to  April  28,  1920 


APPROXIMATE 

CALORIES  TAKEN 

PER  DAY 


I9OO 
I9OO 
160O 
I80O 
I9OO 
20O0 
2000 
I5OO 
I5OO 
1 4OO 
2IOO 
I5OO 
I5OO 
I5OO 
2000 
l6<X> 
I9OO 
I5OO 
2000 
2000 
2200 
I5OO 
2COO 
2QOO 
160O 
l800 
I5OO 
2200 
l6oO 
l600 
I50O 
I50O 
I7OO 
2000 
2200 
l600 
I5OO 
I5OO 
I20O 
l600 
l800 


Sore  throat  and  cold.    F.arache. 

Good — Two  slight  colds. 

Suspected  T.  B. — Von  Pirquet  negative. 

Good. 

Cellulitis  of  patella.     Home  for  one  month. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good — Very  nervous. 

Good. 

One  attack  of  tonsilitis. 

Good. 

Two  head  colds. 

Coughs — Looks  tired. 

Slight  cold — Good. 

Cough. 

Good. 

Good. 

Stomach  trouble. 

Good. 

Good — Tonsils  removed. 

Good. 

Good. 

Headaches — -Eyes  were  examined — Glasses  prescribed 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Cough — Pale — Cold  all  winter. 

Good. 

Good. 

Apparent  cold  in  head  all  the  time. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 

Good. 


Failure  to  gain  or  loss  of  weight  on  the  part  of  any 
child  was  followed  by  a  physical  examination  by  the 
Health  Centre  physician.  Also  an  extra  visit  to  the  home 
of  the  child  was  paid  by  the  social  worker,  to  discover 
the  possible  cause.  This  brought  out  the  fact  that  other 
elements  than  food  determine  the  state  of  a  child's  nutri- 
tion. Apparently  trivial  conditions  such  as  a  slight  cold, 
interrupted  sleep,  or  nervous  strain  occasioned  by  fam- 
ily dissension  prevent  a  gain  in  weight. 

A  typical  weekly  menu  was  as  follows: 


Monday 


Breakfast 
Oatmeal  (milk  and  sugar) 
Bread  and  butter 
One  slice  of  bacon 
Cup  of  milk 


Dinner 

Meat  balls  and  rice 
String  beans 
Bread  and  butter 
Chocolate  pudding 


Supper 
Lima  bean  soup 
Bran  muffins  and  butter 
Apple  sauce  and  cookie 
Cup  of  milk 


Tuesday 


Breakfast 
Farina  (milk  and  sugar) 
Whole  wheat  bread  and 

butter 
Slice  of  bacon 
Cup  of  milk 


Dinner 

Lamb  stew  (carrots  and 
potatoes  flavored  with 
onions) 

Bread  and  butter 

Bread  pudding 


Supper 
Pea  soup 
Cocoa 
Prune  pulp 
Oatmeal  cookies  and 

butter 


Wednesday 


Breakfast 
Hominy  (with  milk  and 

sugar) 
Bread  and  butter 
Slice  of  bacon 
Cup  of  milk 


Dinner 
Poached  egg  on  toast 
Spinach  or  greens 
Bread  and  butter 
Tapioca  pudding  with 

apples 


Supper 
Creamed  carrots 
Oatmeal  muffins  with 

butter 
Apricot  sauce  with 

cookies 
Cup  of  milk 


Thursday 


Breakfast 
Oatmeal  (with  milk  and 

sugar) 
Slice  of  bacon 
Bread  and  butter 
Cup  of  milk 


Dinner 
Meat  pie  with  potato 

crust 
Boiled  turnips 
Ice  cream  and  cookies 


Supper 
Creamed  potato  soup 
Graham  muffins 
Baked  apple  with  cookies 
Cup  of  milk 


IO 


Friday 


Breakfast 
Corn  meal  (with  milk 

and  sugar) 
Slice  of  bacon 
Bread  and  butter 


Dinner 
Cream  cod  fish 
Boiled  potatoes. 
Beets 

Bread  and  butter 
Lemon  Gelatin  and 

cookies 


Supper 
Cocoa 

Raisin  muffins 
Brown  Betty  pudding 

with  sauce 


Saturday 


Breakfast 
Farina  (with  milk  and 

sugar) 
Bread  and  butter 
Slice  of.  bacon 
Cup  of  milk 


Dinner 
Scalloped  macaroni 

with  cheese 
Stewed  onions 
Greens 
Prune  jelly  with  milk 


Supper 
Cream  of  lima  bean  soup 
Whole  wheat  muffins 
Cup  of  milk 
Sliced  oranges  and 

bananas 


During  the  period  the  restaurant  was  run,  from  No- 
vember ist,  1919,  to  May  1st,  1920,  the  cost  of  food  per 
month  was  S108.  The  number  of  meals  served  in  the 
restaurant  during  five  months  of  the  experiment 
amounted  to  1  247.  The  average  cost  of  the  three  meals 
per  child,  per  day  was  32  cents. 

No  effort  was  made  to  force  down  a  prescribed  num- 
ber of  calories.  A  well  balanced  meal  was  placed  before 
the  child.  When  he  had  eaten  what  had  been  served  an 
extra  helping  was  allowed  and  the  dietitian  kept  a 
record  ;>t  the  amount  of  food  left  as  well  as  that  of  the 
extra  food  taken.  From  this  record  it  was  possible  to 
approximate  the  number  of  calories  taken,  based  en- 
tirely on  the  child's  appetite. 

This  average  was  1200  to  2200  calories-  an  average 
of  [73]  calories  per  child  per  day. 

The  table  on  pages  8  and  9  shows  in  derail  the  individ- 
ual progress  of  each  child  during  his  attendance  at  the 
restaurant. 


1  1 


The  Dinner  Hour  in  the  Restaurant 

For  instruction  in  general  hygiene  and  neatness  each 
child  had  his  own  peg  for  his  hat  and  coat,  a  hook  for 
his  toothbrush  and  a  special  seat  at  the  table.  Hands 
and  face  were  washed  before  each  meal,  sometimes  more 
than  once  before  they  would  pass  inspection.  Teeth  were 
brushed  before  breakfast  and  after  dinner  and  supper. 

When  four  months  had  elapsed  many  of  the  25  chil- 
dren with  whom  the  restaurant  opened  had  passed  their 
expected  weight  for  height.  They  were  graduated  in 
order  to  give  other  undernourished  children  the  benefit 
of  the  restaurant  and  to  give  us  a  larger  number  from 
which  to  make  our  observations. 

In  all,  43  children  attended  the  restaurant  for  periods 
of  from  one  to  six  months. 


12 


Girl  Seoul  Cooking  C/ass 


(  )f  these  43  children,  the  most  undernourished  in  the 
neighborhood,  2  lost,  4  gained  less  than  their  expected 
gain,  7  gained  the  expected  gain,  and  28  gained  from 
one-half  to  six  times  more  than  their  expected  gam. 
The  average  gain  was  one  pound  per  month  per  child. 

Rating  the  expected  gain  as  ioor^  the  average  gain 
of  the  group  was  188%. 

As  a  control  the  weight  and  height  of  all  the  children 
in  Public  School  29  was  recorded  and  at  the  beginning 
and  end  of  the  six  months'  period.  The  parents  of  the 
school  children  found  to  be  under  weight  were  assembled 
and  given  a  talk  on  diet  by  a  physician  from  the  Health 
Centre  and  the  school  dietitian  demonstrated  the  prep- 
aration of  food. 


During  the  six  months'  observation  period  the  under- 
weight school  children  not  attending  the  restaurant 
gained  an  average  of  10  oz.  per  month,  or  86%  of  their 
expected  gain.  Of  the  43  undernourished  children  in  the 
Public  School  who  were  attending  the  restaurant  none 
lost  in  weight,  22  gained  the  expected  amount  or  more 
ranging  from  100%  to  300%  of  the  expected  gain. 

It  has  been  possible  to  obtain  comparative  school  re- 
ports of  28  children  for  the  six  months  before  and  during 
their  attendance  at  the  restaurant.  Twenty-four  showed 
marked  improvement  in  their  studies,  conduct  and  per- 
sonal appearance  while  four  showed  no  improvement. 
Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  four  who  showed 
no  improvement  were  all  from  one  family.  The  parents 
of  these  children  co-operated  poorly  with  our  worker  and 
the  children  were  always  a  source  of  annoyance  in  the 
restaurant. 

The  good  results  among  the  children  attending  the 
restaurant  was  to  be  expected.  The  value  of  an  experi- 
ment of  this  kind  must  be  judged  by  the  permanency 
of  its  influence,  not  only  with  the  restaurant  children 
but  its  effect  as  an  educational  example  to  all  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  neighborhood. 

A  class  in  cooking  for  the  mothers  of  the  district  was 
held  twice  a  week.  This  course  included  instruction  in 
the  preparation  and  the  serving  of  the  dinner  of  the 
restaurant  tor  that  day,  the  mothers  afterwards  par- 
taking of  the  meal  with  the  children.  It  also  included 
instruction  in  the  preparation  of  soup,  cereals,  muffins 
and  bread.  These  mothers  were  in  the  main  very  much 
interested  and  co-operated  with  us  in  their  own  homes  by 
endeavoring  to  serve  similar  meals  there. 

'4 


One  mother  having  a  child  at  the  restaurant  also  had 
another  one  at  home.  She  had  not  cooperated  with  us 
very  much  until  the  child  at  home  demanded  that  he 
receive  the  same  food  as  his  brother  in  the  restaurant. 
The  child's  plea  had  the  desired  effect. 

Classes  were  also  held  for  Girl  Scouts  in  the  restau- 
rant. Instruction  was  given  in  the  cooking  and  serving 
of  dinner,  waiting  on  the  children  and  helping  clean  up. 
They  also  were  taught  how  to  prepare  soup,  cereals, 
muffins  and  bread. 

So  far,  the  experiment  has  shown  that  a  simple  well 
balanced  diet,  that  children  like,  and  furnishing  2000 
calories  a  day  can  be  provided  for  at  a  cost  of  from  25  to 
45  cents  a  day.  On  this  diet  children  gain  more,  exhibit 
better  health  and  do  better  in  their  school  work  than  on 
the  diet  thev  obtain  in  most  of  the  tenement  homes. 

Since  the  restaurant  closed  a  canvass  was  made  in 
the  neighborhood  to  determine  the  influence  of  the 
restaurant  on  the  choice  of  the  diet  in  the  homes.  This 
showed  that  62  of  the  148  homes  visited  followed  the 
diet  of  the  restaurant. 

Another  good  result  observed  was  that  in  a  great 
many  homes  a  hot,  properly  cooked  meal  had  been  sub- 
stituted for  the  cold  luncheons  formerly  obtained  from 
the  delicatessen  stores,  etc. 

Five  months  after  the  restaurant  closed  36  children 
of  the  43  who  attended  the  restaurant  were  weighed 
again.  It  was  found  that  2S  had  gained,  7  had  lost  and 
1  had  remained  the  same.  The  average  gain  tor  ever) 
ehilil  is  1  '  _>  lbs.  The  five  children  who  were  not  weighed 
had  either  moved  out  of  the  district  or  it  was  impossible 
to  rind  them  tor  some  other  reason. 


15 


Follow-up  work  during  these  five  months  was  ham- 
pered owing  to  the  absence  of  many  of  the  children  from 
the  city  during  the  summer. 

The  conclusion  drawn  from  the  restaurant  experi- 
ment is  that  such  a  demonstration  centre  has  a  marked 
influence  on  improving  conditions  in  the  district,  but 
to  have  a  lasting  effect  follow-up  instruction  in  the 
homes  is  essential. 


{Signed]  Miner  C.  Hill,  M.  D. 

President 
Bowling  Green  Neighborhood  Association 


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